Maya Train Judges Permit Jungle Destruction

Cancún, Quintana Roo — Ernesto Sánchez Rodríguez, a federal deputy for the National Action Party (PAN) from Quintana Roo, has accused the new Federal Judicial Power of endorsing the destruction of the jungle caused by the Tren Maya. This accusation comes after two federal judges rejected a request for an injunction against the construction of the Cancún Multimodal Cargo Terminal.

The injunction was filed by the Mexican Center for Environmental Law (Cemda) last September. The legal action sought to compel the Mexican Army, the entity responsible for the project, to comply with environmental protection measures or, alternatively, to suspend the work. According to the organization, these works are being carried out without the required authorization for a change of land use on forested terrain.

The project, which is one of four initiated by the federal government to enable the train's cargo service, involves the deforestation of 259 hectares of jungle for its construction.

"Once again we see how justice aligns with the interests of Morena, and not with those of the citizens or the environment," asserted the legislator.

He stated that the Tren Maya threatens ecosystems and the quality of life, and he demanded that the environmental damage it has caused in Quintana Roo be repaired. He specified that the National Action Party seeks to ensure that Quintana Roo is not an "entity kidnapped by Morena" and where "the environment has been relegated to the background."

"Governor Mara Lezama will have a lot to explain when she leaves office; Morena's justice system destroys and there are no conditions for a climate of order; the Tren Maya is a project that harms the environment," he stated.

The deputy also called on environmental organizations to appeal to more "entities of justice" to stop the works surrounding the Tren Maya.

The injunction was rejected by federal judge Tania Gabriela González Rosas from Mérida, Yucatán, to whom all matters related to the project were sent. Her ruling was based on the argument that the Cancún multimodal cargo terminal is no longer part of the original Tren Maya project.

Judge Tania Gabriela González Rosas's decision has also sparked controversy because, until last February, she served as the director of the Institute of Patrimonial Legal Security of Yucatán, under the administration of Joaquín Díaz Mena, the Morena party governor of that state.